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One of the great misconceptions about British people is that we like to queue, I've never met anyone that actually enjoys it. We just understand that to jump a queue means everyone in a 5 mile radius will immediately judge you as the spawn of Satan, which you obviously are if you go around jumping queues. They might even tut at you, which is worse than a punch in the face as wounds heal but shame is for life.
I suspect that the reputation for queuing grew up particularly during the two world wars and following years when very strict rationing caused huge queues for basics like foodstuffs...
That and the likelihood that a Brit will join a queue even if they're not 100% sure what the queue is for. This includes in the car. Can't risk going into the completely empty lane in case there's a really good reason why everyone is queuing...! (My dad did that the other day. Finally got tired of sitting still, drove past 2 cars and realised the road ahead was completely empty, they were just sitting there for some reason.)
Bill Bryson commented on queuing in one of his books. He said he loved the way people formed one queue in front of two ticket windows instead of having a queue on each. He said it was so fair and so British. I think it was notes from a small island.
We ‘toe the line’ or ‘cross the line’ depending on whether we are doing what we are told or not. It comes from the House of Commons where the Government and Opposition face each other. There are two red lines on the carpet and each side has to stay behind their own line. Apocryphally, the lines are two sword lengths apart.
I never hear people say can't complain, usually just yeah thanks, you? Or yeah I'm alright, or Good thanks, you? Usually if I'm not so great I'll say something like, Yeaaahh (more drawn out), not too bad.
How we enjoy the rain: 1. Stand at the window (inside) 2. Put non-tea drinking hand on hip 3. Slowly sip tea from favourite mug 4. Occasionally mutter one of these three options: “look at that rain”, “it’s really coming down now” or “the garden needs it” 5. Comment that it’s “a good job we got the cushions/washing in” 6. Consume as many biscuits as possible
Good for the garden yeah haha. Always used to annoy me as a kid. I didn't give a toss about "the garden" now I have one of my own I've been known to utter those same words myself.
Our Banter (friendly ribbing) is generally rooted in sarcasm, and we are the masters of sarcasm. Also between Brits it’s generally very obvious if the insults are friendly banter or not.
@@RavenclawStudent123 Oh boy, we do that too, except in the States, when you offer something to someone, they are much more likely to take the biscuit rather than politely decline 😂
In British English, "Randy" means "horny, always craving sex". Hence why you can see it is a name which would never be able to be taken seriously here.
I met an American lady who chirpily said, "Hi, I'm Randy" and I'm thinking, "Too much information!" (she was really nice - and said she knew the British connotation, but what could she do?)
@Avatar Ang Even most of us who are British don't really speak 'English' in the official sense. There are large regional variations in the language, with different words being used to describe the same thing or words that are entirely regional with no comparable word in other parts of the UK. It's basically a legacy of the cultural melting pot that is the last 2000 years of British history; Celts, Romans, Irish, Angles, Saxons, Norse, Normans, Flemings, Huguenots, Indians, Germans, Jews, Russians, Africans, Afro-Caribbeans etc. It's also a legacy of the class system, with some words being widely adopted as official because of the class of people using them while others are more distinct to a social class. I've had some very amusing conversations over the years with people from other countries who speak perfect 'official' English about how they've moved to the UK to work and found themselves in parts of the country where the actual language we speak is a bit different, such as Yorkshire, and they couldn't understand what we are talking about until they got used to the local dialects and idioms. I also find when I'm travelling around the UK that I'll consciously rein in my natural patois and adopt a more generalised English when speaking to other British people but when I'm on my home turf I'll unleash the full Yorkshireman :D I suspect you could pick a country and a language and the same would be true of them.
@@lindawright8949 Oh boy, there must be lots of landfills with printers in them then. Bloody things don't do anything except sing me the song of their people.
The best insult from a friend was "I've been defending you!" "Have you?" "Yes. John reckoned you haven't got the brains of a rocking-horse and I said you do."
Hahahaha when I was 13 I remember watching 10 THings I Hate about You and Kat was talking about a time she didn't want to have sex and Joey got pissed and dumped her. I thought, wow, he went out and got drunk and dumped her then? Man, he must have been mega upset that she wouldn't have sex with him!!! Didn't realise it meant that he got angry or pissed off
@@ellycelly5278 I thought it was strange in many american tv shows where children said they were pissed Getting drunk so young. In UK saying pissed off is being angry
With regards to the ‘time’, we were on holiday in Mexico talking to some Americans. We were leaving the next day and they asked us what time was our flight? We said that we were being picked up at around 3pm and it was an overnight flight leaving around tea-time! They looked quite confused and said ‘what time is that and are you having tea and cake first? We left at 18:10
Tea time is all the time, but in Mexico I'll bet the tea wasn't nearly as good. Correct tea time is 4:00pm but if a formal dinner is not happening, supper is called "tea" at about 6pm. It is polite to be 10 minutes late, so, well done.
That's true about the tea. My English friends will remember someone's first name, surname and how they take their tea, or ... horrors ... if they drink coffee, as part of their identity. They memorise people as "Tom O'Brien (milk, no sugar) and that awful wife of his, Ann (coffee, half the jug of milk and three! sugars)".
I'm British but used to work in Toronto. During work training we had to show we could read a 24h clock or 'military time' as they called it. When my turn came, 17:55 flashed on screen. Instead of saying 5:55, I said 5 to 6 and the whole room erupted into laughter. Luckily the lady taking the class was from India and was used the way Brits tell the time.
I teach English as a foreign language and I always teach both so "7:45 or a quarter to eight" both are correct . One of my strangest experiences was when I was in Argentina where they "speak" the 24 hour clock "a las 17 y 30" or 5:30 in old money. I'm fine when I see it written down but making arrangements in a foreign language where they also use the 24 hour clock was difficult.
@@martinmaynard141 I used to work in the bus industry and a very good example of the confusion arising out of only one party understanding the 24 hour clock (ie Military Time) was an inspector being asked what time the last bus back from a particular bus stop was...he responded correctly 22.12 which the would be passenger misunderstood to mean 23.40 - unfortunate at that time of night at a remote location! I should point out that this was well over forty years ago just after the 24 hour clock was introduced on the buses.
@@WanderingRavens It's strange how timetables and schedules are in 24 hours, but we will still say the 12 hour time "I'm catching the 18:30 at half-past six".
I was on Erasmus in Germany, I turned up to a student fancy-dress party at a Scottish friend's place not wearing fancy-dress, and she opened the door and said 'what have you come as? An English twat?'... Maybe it's a sort of friendship test - the more offensive you can be without the other person being offended, the closer you are... I don't know...
The uk is just more negative with life than America “the American dream = if I work hard I can get what I want. British dream = lie-in” - Russel Howard
@@stayforthepeelpronpls4774 he is wrong about the UK (he is a lefty afterall) The UK doesn't need a dream as we are awake already (not my line can't remember who said it first)
I like the Scottish person's comment about being translucent. My ex wife's family are all very pale and have carrot coloured hair. Her brother broke his rib at work. When I asked him if he had an x-ray he said, "no, they just held me up to the light!"
Best comment! Definitely the best comment on this video. And as a ginger person from Orkney, I can attest to the fact that we are pretty much invisible if we stand in front of a white wall.
My response is usually 'If you're already making one, yeah go on then' feels like I'm not trying to put them out to make one. Or a friend always says 'be rude not to'
The reason Americans (and others) struggle adapting to British communication techniques is because a lot of contexts are unspoken (I.e the same phrase has 5 meanings). You have to decipher if a person is saying something jovially, seriously or offensively based on their delivery and I think that's an art, particularly when humour and sarcasm are as dry as they are in the UK. It comes naturally if you grow up around it, but for others it can be a bit of a nightmare to pick social cues up. I find Americans tend to state the context a lot "oh that's so funny", "That's so mean" etc... Whereas Brits say it and let you work it out haha.
Best insult I've been given:- "If sex with 3 people is a threesome, and sex with 2 is a twosome, is that why people call you handsone?" You have to think about it... I don't know about names, but there's definitely a British style of nickname, usually by shortening the real name and adding "z" or "zer"at the end of it. So, for example, my name's Barry, but my friends will usually call me "Baz" or "Bazzer".
The Barry = Baz/Bazzer thing actually has a name. It's a form of the "Oxford -er". It started as public school slang in the Victorian era, became popular at Oxford University and spread from there.
The word queue comes from French. In French it meant an animal's tail but also came by analogy to mean people forming a line one behind the other. It still has both meanings in French but in English now just means the standing in line. During the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War British newspapers illustrated reports of the shortage of food in the besiged French city with pictures of Parisians standing in une queue for their meagre rations
I know a lad who just always switches it up, randomly like "I need that bloody haemorrhoid cream back or your strap ons arrived through my amazon prime. . 😂😂.
9 out of 10 times when a British person asks "alright?" they are not looking for an extensive reply detailing what is currently wrong or right with your life. However, if someone is genuinely concerned that a loved one, friend or colleague is unhappy, unwell or annoyed, we may ask more slowly and deliberately "are you all right?"
Hi Eric and Grace. I do enjoy your channel; I've had so many laughs. I am a Londoner, born in 1953 and have lived here all my life. Watching your channel has brought it home to me afresh how much 'British' mannerisms and culture have evolved and changed in those 68 years. Were it possible, I would love to be able to show you what life was like in London and the UK in the 1950s and 1960s; you would find it fascinating, I am sure. Long may you both continue to enjoy your visits to the UK. With warmest good wishes to you both. Peter A
Timings work like this (adding the hour after is optional as I think most brits normally always know the hour) 5 past 10 past Quarter past 20 past If it’s 25 mins past the hour you can say 25 past or say it’s nearly half past Half past 25 to 20 to Quarter to 10 to 5 to
with the prefix "about" added they mean anywhere between one and another, and the prefix "dead on" meaning it's exactly that time with about a 10 second's grace period (you have to give someone some time to get the statement out). dead on half eleven 11:29:50-11:30:10, after that it's about 11:30.
I used to work abroad in Europe as a tour guide. I was mainly based in France and Northern Europe. On one occasion I went on Holiday to Naples with my partner, as he is Italian and my family are Italian also. They come from the same region. My entire time there was frustrating, however, this one morning I was in a cafe and asked for a tea. The waiter looked at me as though I was an Alien and didn't have a clue how to make it. He basically went away and filled a mug/ cup with boiled milk and brought to the table with a teabag on the side. I looked at it and was in shock and the waiter, embarrassed said he'd never made one before. I ended up having to teach a few Italians how to make a bloody cup of tea lol
I worked in a school before, doing some flooring, and when I made myself a cup of tea, next to the kettle there was a giant chart with about 30 teachings staffs info of preferences on how they take their tea.. amount of sugars, whether or not they take milk, brand of tea etc. Its serious business ☕😂
This one is funny because several other brits have also commented saying that "can't complain" is positive, but in the US it's definitely interpreted as a negative statement 😂 I love identifying subtle little culture differences like this! Thank you for the insight, Helen!
I think the only other people who have this sort of expression are the rural Norman French. If they think something is really good they say “pas mal” - not bad. It drives the other French potty because they never know what Normans really think.
I'm fine is a neutral response, the negative response is "not that bad" (and if it is bad emphasise the "that"), for me to say something along the lines of "not good" I would pretty much have to be dying in extreme pain.
That's rubbish that, Helen. I say "I'm fine, thank you" very often and I've only ever meant it in a positive sense, as in "I'm well" or "very well". Also, "can't complain" means that things are just fine, ok - not "life is perfect".
In terms of how you remember who has what in an office tea run, in my experience it comes down to experience. As an apprentice, intern or new starting graduate, your primary role will be the tea run (often for the whole office/workshop/work place). By starting all early years employees on this vital task, it means that virtually everyone in the office, often all the way up to management, has the ingrained ability to remember sometimes hundreds of tea orders without having to think about it. Hope that helps 🙂
Our banter can be very Brutal. Armed forces , Emergency services and Hospital workers have a very Dark sense of humour as a way of dealing with they Experience.. as for saying 8:30 in Lincolnshire we would say Half 8 as arf 8
Reginald D Hunter, an American comedian working in Britain once said something like, British people were so polite that it took me 6 months to realise they were being rude to me. We use queue only for lining up for something, we use the other "line" expressions in the same way as you do. Not too bad is just British understatement. Like if someone says can your wife cook well, you don't say actually she's a cordon blue cook, you say she's not bad etc. No one in Britain would last a week if they were named Randy.
On the subject of queuing, there's an old joke in Australia that if you get 2 Poms and a dog, they'll form a queue for a 6-door dunny. Pom or Pommy or PommyBastard = Brit. Dunny = toilet or outhouse.
Great observation, Tommy! We hadn't picked up on that, but now that you mention it, I think you're right! While Americans do frequently drop the "of" they use the "of" just as often.
The inverse is that many RU-vidrs start their videos with "What's up?" I don't know whether it's a countrywide thing but where I come from originally (Lincolnshire) that is something you say to someone who looks sad, ill or in trouble. The typical Lincolnshire greeting, though not one I would ever use, comes out something like "Nairn". In real words, though it makes little more sense, it is actually supposed to be "Now then".
When you teach children how to tell the time on an analogue clock ; quarter past, half past, quarter to is obvious, the child might not be able to count upto 60
As to tea making I was in the military and when you ask how you like your tea the regular reply was 'Standard NATO' this means milk and 2 sugars One word which seemed to make me stand out as British in USA was the use of 'Fortnight' In some parts of the North Midlands when telling the the time you will hear 'Five and twenty past or five and twenty to'
Apart from singing ‘four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie’ and in period dramas, who speaks like that and exactly where? Certainly not used in the West Midlands! Oh, and ‘builders brew’ is used here too.
I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal of Brits drinking tea. I'm 65, 100% British and, at least in my fairly wide circle of acquaintance, I would estimate only about 20% drink tea - most drink coffee if they are having a hot drink. I also find it interesting how language morphs over time, no matter where you come from. My favourite author happens to be American. His name is Thorne Smith and he was writing in the 1920's and 30's. His use of English is the best I have ever encountered and, guess what? he called trousers trousers. What a difference a few decades make! By the by, if you find yourself with empty hours and like to laugh until you cry, I would commend the good Mr Smith to you. If you have Amazon Prime, you can obtain his compete bibliography at no charge. I very much hope that this brief note finds you both well and that you are able to remain fit and cheery. Best regards....
How do I squeeze past someone? I kinda meekly say "er, hi, er, excuse me, can I just, er...." And then when they ignore me I just do it while drawing as much attention as possible.
The best insult I have ever received was from one of my best friends who told me that he had stood up for me earlier that day. He told me.... "They said that you weren't fit to live with pigs, I said you were"
I think we use most of those line expressions to, although we also have alternatives that we sometimes use. I would intermittently say "half 8" and "8 thirty", but I definitely do miss out the hour sometimes, e.g. "half past", or "25 to".
In Glasgow you can have an entire conversation with one word. "Awright?" *nod* "Awright?" "nod* "Awright." "Awright." *both wander off to the next bar*
"It's a good job you're pretty" said to anyone who acts a little daft! I also like to call them 'precious' or 'special'. As a non-tea drinking English person, I actively avoid the tea making rounds for fear of getting it wrong!
one insult I have been given by my friend when I was at uni trying to cook a pizza was "you Complete Pillock, you turned the wrong oven on again you bloody twit" lol
I have to confess, and I think I may have made this comment before, that I once went in to a hotel kitchen in Paris to show the waiter how I wanted him to make my cup of tea. I hasten to add, it was done in fun and I was invited to deliver it as a lesson. Up until then, they had been using a coffee filter machine to heat the water. I say "heat", it was cool enough to was in! Animals!
Me and my friend are walking here from school one day and we just got back ,the day before,from a school trip to Oxford university and I pulled out of my coat pocket a note pad that I had been given from the University and I said “this the only thing I’m ever going to get from Oxford” and then she said “yeah that and a rejection letter” it was so funny at the time because it was so unexpected 😂
A good giveaway is a love for tea. If you don't ask is if we would like tea, oh boy. You are in trouble That's a stereotype that every Brit loves tea. I am a good stereotype of this because I love tea 😂 Edit: me being Midlands born, I definitely have said "Oh it's half past"
@@WanderingRavens Haha. Thanks! With the comment about Brits saying where we're from, I don't actually say I'm from Hereford. Well. I would if I was talking to another British person but if I was talking to someone who wasn't from the UK, I would just say "I'm from the UK". Did you know there are Herefords in the US?
My mum and I even know what time it is if its 10 to tea o'clock or if were late having it, "have you seen the time? Its (...quarter past, etc) tea o'clock"
Yes, we do use "to get out of line". We also use "lining up" for children waiting to go into school or for soccer players waiting for a free kick etc. Queuing is only used for waiting to buy something or to enter somewhere e.g. a cinema or a museum.
With insults I was introduced to one of my friends other friends. He introduced himself as the good looking one to which I said, "yeah like you've been set on fire and put out with a hammer". He got the sarcasm..
I am not British, but I honestly doubt if I've ever experienced a nice insult. I remember I once joined a party and the two other girls had left. The rest of the people were guys, I had dressed up for the occasion (not with the intention to hit on them though) and I was enjoying snacks and the movie. At some point, someone sighed and said; 'What a sausage-fest guys, there are literally only guys here.' I coughed and he didn't look up. He complained again and said; 'There's no eyecandy here whatsoever.' I sarcastically said; 'Oh, stop it, I'm blushing' and he said; 'You are Emma, you're not eyecandy.' I mean, it's a good thing I wasn't objectified. But I wasn't considered a friend though and I also wasn't conceived as anything female or pretty. I'd say it was more of a confusing comment.
@@Widdekuu91 it's how you say it and all about delivery. In Britain being sarcastic is seen as you actually liking someone. Friends are sarcastic with each other and it is viewed as being comfortable enough and liking them enough to be able to be sarcastic. I'd be more worried if my friends weren't sarcastic!
I was told that I had less brains than money - while I had an overdraft (which they knew about). I liked that one. It was true since later that same day I walked into a "Mind your head" sign and cut my head.
I think possibly the UK is the only nation on the planet where an entire conversation can consist of only two words, it be the exact same word and both parties understand. Person 1: “Alright?” Person 2: “Alright?” That’s the entire conversation, everyone understands and no further interaction takes place. It’s bloody odd
My particular favourite is fanny. Can you imagine an American woman entering a nightclub with her friends and shouting: 'Well who wants a piece of my fanny.' There would be a stampede! 😭
People who live in Hove think the rest of the world doesn't know where Hove is so their answer is usually "I'm from Brighton ... well ... Hove actually." This is a well known local Sussex joke!!
Have to say you were dead on when you said about giggling at someone's name being Randy. Probably wouldn't giggle to their face until we're friends though.
@@HighHoeKermit There was a supervisor called Reginald Sole where I once worked. We were forever asking the switchboard operator to call for R. Sole over the tannoy. We were in hysterics...
I don't know a single brit who doesn't pack teabags to take on holiday. It's also quite common to pack a travel kettle "just to be on the safe side". We have therefore largely solved the issue of brewing tea in our accommodation, wherever we are in the world. However, this raises another fundamental issue the total inability of foreigners to provide acceptable milk! You are far more likely to hear a brit complaining about the nasty milk they are forced to use in their tea while on holiday than the tea itself!
Thanks for a great video, had me belly-laughing! Yes, I'm a Brit despite my proud Irish surname. And yes, I'd like to think we do queuing rather well in the UK but there has been a decline in recent years. For example, at busy periods when a checkout till opens up at a supermarket it is extremely irritating when those at the back of the queue think they can walk right to the front of that queue. And saying 'well' before an adjective is slang, when what is meant is 'very'. We have Essex to blame for that one.
Y'alright? Tea in an office - Yes we take turns. There's usually a list of how everyone takes their tea, or coffee, in the kitchen. On the wall - behind the kettle. Lines - we say you're out of line if you've overstepped your authority or crossed the line. We only say queue when asking, "you in the queue?" , or talking about queuing. People saying it's half past or quarter to and not saying the hour is normal and annoying. We all have to say half past what?!? The 8.30 or half 8 - depends on if we're reading a digital clock or an analogue one. So digital would be 8.25. Analogue - twenty five past 8. Or just twenty five past ... I remember when I was a kid, if anyone over the age of 50 asked the time, I'd have to say 5-and-20 past 8, otherwise they wouldn't know what I was on about. What can I say, we're contrary lol. Cheers!
Best thing about the English language is that you can swear publicly, right in someone's face, and not use a single swear word. Consider a very common phrase - thank you. If said calmly, it means "I'm grateful for you help", If said while smiling (a real one, not a fake one), "I'm really grateful for your help and would like to return the favour", If said "THANK you", this is pretty much "F*** you, now f*** off". If said "thank YOU", you really want to end this conversation and leave but can't.
Queue is actually the French word for ‘tail’, which makes sense when you think about it. Almost certainly introduced after the Norman Conquest when hundreds of French words were incorporated into English.
